Call of C'Thulhu musings

 So... I have been working on and off over the past few months on a Call of C'Thulhu campaign. I am in an online fifth edition D&D campaign with some friends, and my one friend's daughter and her friend, but it has become kind of stale, so it was suggested that maybe I can run something when our current year-long campaign comes to an end, which will be soon (we are in the endgame of confronting the big baddie, an undead mind flayer). I decided to work on a campaign that takes place in Winnipeg and Manitoba (where all of us live), and to take advantage of all the assorted mystical weirdness that you can find around you in this place.

Right now, I have two branching parts of the campaign... one that accounts for the weirdness of the wilderness of Manitoba in the 1920's, and one that deals more with Winnipeg, the "Chicago of the North", of the 1920's.

To start the campaign, I plan to have the investigators fall in to the high society circles of T.G. Hamilton, a kind of "medium to the stars". He hosted seances at his home, and was famous for his photos of "ectoplasm" which resulted from these seances. Among his many visitors for a seance was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes, so I figure having them rub shoulders with him sets them up for future shenanigans outside of Winnipeg. Anyway, the first adventure is actually a fairly straightforward murder mystery - a two-bit con man convinces the wrong people that he has extraordinary capabilities. When his fraud gets discovered, he is on the run from the cultists he has angered, and the investigators have to try and get to him before the cultists do. There's nothing overtly supernatural in the adventure... there are some seeds laid for the future, but it is all pretty ordinary.

After that, I was planning on running them through The Haunted House (with a little retconning to fit it in to Winnipeg).

Then, there are two choices they can go, depending on whose appeal for help they accept.

The one I am working out right now focuses on a secret cult to Ithaqua, and ties together the seeds of thunderbird nests (a real thing... http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/thunderbirdnest.shtml ), the legend of Manipogo, the legend of the Ghost of the White Horse, Bigfoot, people disappearing after walking three times around the graveyard of St. Charles parish at midnight... and Louis Riel and the Red River and Northwest Rebellions. More on this when I get home tonight. ;)

All Apologies

 When this month started out, I had really good intentions to complete this project, and come up with a new Character a Day for a bunch of game systems, because it sounded like fun. However, I have to apologize for my inability to stick it out so far. After 2 months of limited in person teaching, and 3 months of remote learning, my school is going back to full bore daily classes starting on Monday, with us only having a week's notice to prepare. On top of that, it's the end of first semester in two weeks and report cards are due by the end of the month... well.... it has just been super hectic, and by the time I get home from work, I am done. I will try to throw some more characters up on the weekends, when I have more time to commit to this, but right now, 12 hour days are burning me out from doing anything but zoning out and going to bed when I get home. I will try to put up some Star Frontiers or Unknown Armies characters this weekend. Thank you (all 16 of you who are actually reading this page) for your patience.

A Character A Day (kinda sorta): Deadlands

 First, not that anyone is reading this, but I apologize for missing a couple days. I had to travel for a doctor's appointment, and when I got home yesterday, I wasn't really in the mmod for character creation. Not that anyone is reading this anyways. 8)

But, today we are back at it. Originally, because I am sitting here watching Day 14 of the NJPW 2020 G1 Climax tournament (a Japanese wrestling tournament from last year, for those who think I am speaking in tongues), I was going to make a character for Street Fighter: The Storytelling Game. However, looking over those rules, I quickly realized I would need to read those rules over a little more before I tried that.

So, instead, I decided to try making a character for DEADLANDS, since a friend of mine is interested in running a Deadlands campaign at some point. This gives me an excuse to learn how to make a character.

For reference, I am using the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Deadlands core rules for generating a character.

Step 1: Concept

I am going for it right off the bat. Gunslinger. Not gonna waste any time, or beat about the bush. I am going to spin my slightly differently though, and have my character be an exiled British noble, with a penchant for settling arguments through personal duels.

Stpe 2: Traits

I love systems that use drawing playing cards as a mechanic. Okay, let's shuffle up and deal! 

In DEADLANDS, you draw 12 cards from a 54-card deck (you include Red and Black Jokers), then drop 2 cards, and use the remaining 10 to populate your abilities of  Deftness, Nimbleness, Quickness, Strength, Vigor, Cognition, Knowledge, Mien, Smarts and Spirit. My 12 cards are...

8C, 5H, 3D, 4H, 5D, JH, JC, 10H, 8D, Black Joker, 3C, KH

I am going to drop the 3 of Clubs, and 8 of CLubs, as those are both Level 1 skills. I need to redraw a card for the black joker, to give me a skill level (as a Joker counts as a d12), and I will see about revealing the "mysterious past" element of my character that card gives me. My redraw gives me.... a Queen of Spades. So, no aces, but a King, a Queen and a Joker, so that is almost as good. Knowing I need to have high Quickness and Deftness, here's how I am going to split things up...

DEFTNESS        4d12 (joker)   

NIMBLENESS   2d6 (3D)

QUICKNESS     3d10 (KH)

STRENGTH       2d6 (5D)

VIGOR               3d6 (4H)

COGNITION      2d6 (8D)

KNOWLEDGE   3d8 (JH)

MIEN                  3d8 (10H)

SMARTS             3d6 (5H)

SPIRIT                1d8 (JC)

I think this defines my character pretty well. High Deftness and Quickness, because he is a gunfighter. Low Spirit, because since he comes from across the ocean, it makes sense he would have a lesser connection to the spirits of the Weird West. Higher Knowledge, Smarts and Mien because he would be better educated than many as nobility, and probably command respect. Average for everything else.

Filling out secondary traits, we get...

Grit   0    / Pace   6    / Size   6    / Wind   14

STEP 3: Aptitudes

Aptitude points come from adding your Knowledge, Smarts and Cognition die together. Adding these up, we get 8+6+6=20 Aptitude points.

For automatic aptitudes, I get Climbin' 1, Search 1, Sneak 1, and Knowledge: Home County 2.

Well, I'm a gunslinger, so I need Shootin': Pistols 5 and Quick Draw 5. That leaves me 10 points left.

I am going to add Overawe 2 (to represent his sense of noble privilege), French 1, Academia: History 1, and Gamblin' 1 (because even a gentleman has to make a living). That leaves me with 5 points left for now. I will add Shootin': Rifles 5 for 3 more points, Ridicule 1 and German 1. There. No points left.

STEP 4: Hindrances

Now, I can add up to ten points of Hindrances, which can let me buy Edges or more Aptitudes.

I am going to take Bloodthirsty for 2 pts. (that's why he is exiled), Ferner for 3pts (he IS British, after all), High Falutin' for 2 (he IS a noble, after all), and Doubtin' Thomas for 3. That gives me 10 extra points.

STEP 5: Edges

Well, I have 10 points to use on Edges. After a little perusing, I think I will take Two-Fisted for 3pts, "The Stare" for 1pt, "The Voice" - Menacing for 1 pt (since that gives my Overawe a +2), Dinero for 3pts, and Belongin's for 2pts. That gives him some resources and material weatlh to back up his noble standing, an edge to back up his gunfighting, and two other edges that play into the idea of him being a noble, and demanding respect.

STEP 6: Background

So, the first thing I am going to do is address the "mysterious past" my Joker gives me. I am going to reveal the past, since this isn't a REAL character. Anyway, I draw a card for the "mysterious past", and I get... a King of Spades. A Cursed Relic. Interesting. I instantly come  up with an idea. Since I am playing my character as an exiled British nobleman, sent to the Americas for his penchant of killing opponents in duels, I make the cursed item his family's signet ring, which he always wears.  Since the write-up for a cursed item sasy choosing a mundane item means the character will have Bad Luck until he figures out the curse and rids himself of the item, I have a very creative idea. LEt's say that my character was exiled to the Americas until he could clear his name, because he was always getting in duels with people over his honour. So, let's say that the curse on the ring is one that, any time his honour is at stake, the only course of action my character will allow to restore his honour is a gunfight to the death. No matter how slight the dishonour, he wants to settle it with a gunfight. The irony being, until he renounces the family signet ring, the most personally significant item he owns, he will contantly be getting into gunfights to the death, and will never clear his name enough to be allowed back home. I think that fits the flavour of the curse quite nicely.

Alright, so here's what I got... 

Lord Blair James,  13th Earl of Huntington

Occupation: Gunslinger (he prefers to be called an Armed Duellist)

DEFTNESS        4d12

    - Shootin'    5d12

        - pistols, rifles

NIMBLENESS   2d6

    - Climbin'    1d6

    - Sneak         1d6

QUICKNESS     3d10

    - Quick Draw 5d10

        - pistols

STRENGTH       2d6

VIGOR               3d6

COGNITION      2d6

    - Search         1d6

KNOWLEDGE   3d8

    - Area Knowledge: Home County    2d8

    - German        1d8

    - French         1d8

    - Academia: History    1d8

MIEN                  3d8

    - Overawe        2d8

SMARTS             3d6

    - Gamblin'    1d6

    - Ridicule      1d6

SPIRIT                1d8

Grit   0    / Pace   6    / Size   6    / Wind   14

Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Ferner, High-Falutin', Doubting Thomas

Edges: Two-Fisted, "The Stare", "The Voice" (menacing), Dinero, Belongings

Belongings: matching silver-plated British Webley revolvers (same stats as Colt Peacemaker), 200 rounds of Webley .455 ammo (double cost of .45 ammo, must be imported), matching quickdraw holsters, gold watch, 2 fine suits, fine trenchcoat, riding boots, derby hat, silver flask w/ single malt Glenmorangie scotch, 1 deck of fine playing cards, $500 in gold coins, $500 in cash

Story: Lord Blair James was a minor British noble in an insignificant house of the British royalty. His family disitinguished itself by being an early trading house in the colonies of America, amassing a small fortune which raised the visibility of the house in British society. However, from an early age, the well-educated by but unmotivated Blair showed a particularly vicious mean streak, always getting in fights with anyone and everyone who ever dared question the honour of his family. Little did they know, the reason beyond Blair's fanatic devotion to his family's honor was the family's signet ring, which he never took off. He had received it when his father had died during his travels amongst the the Indian colonies, looking after the family's tea trade. What no one knew, however, was that the ring had been cursed before his father's death, when the elder Lord James had disrespect an Indian yogi of some fame. When he challneged the yogis fantastic displays of physcial prowess as simply "parlor tricks" and smoke and mirrors, the yogi cursed  his family, saying that whosoever wore the fmaily's signet would be cursed to constantly have to defend the fmaily's honour against every slight, no matter how small, until their reputation for violence ruined them. Blair come into possession of the ring as the oldest son (but not yet of the age of majority) when his father died. In a very short time, he gained a reputation as a bloodthirsty young noble, challenging anyone who would question his family's honor to a duel. By the time he turned 20, he had already shot down 15 men. His uncle, considered to be the head of the family until young Blair reached the age of 21, sent him to live in the Americas, knowing that with his reputation and the ill will he was creating, promoting Blair to the head of the family business would ruin them. He told Blair that he would be living in exile, supported as much as possible by his family, but unable to return home to claim his rightful place in British society until he did something to address his reputation as a ruthless, cold-blooded killer. Little did Blair know that as long as he bears his father's ring, he will always challenge anyone who questions his honour with a diel to the death, thus meaning he will never be able to return home until he renounces the one heirloom that connects him to his family. Until then, he lives a nomadic life in the colonies, living off his family's forebearance, and whatever money he can make from gambling. He is usually quite mild-mannered, relying on the common knowledge of his bloodthirsty reputation and his nobility to impress the local populace into quiet subservience. However, woe betide the man who ever questions his honour, or that of his family, for that challenge will be met  by copper-jacketed bullets and cordite.

Well... that was fun. I think that makes a relatively good DEADLAND gunslinger.

A Character A Day: already interrupted

Sorry folks... I have doctor's appointment out of town tomorrow, so I am staying at my parents' place tonight, and don't have access to any of my gaming stuff, so I am going to have to take a night off from character building.

A Character A Day: Marvel Super Heroes ULTIMATE POWERS (continued)

 So, if you were with us yesterday (and sadly, it doesn't look like very many people were), I was working my way through character creation in the Marvel Super Heroes Advace System, using the Ultimate Powers Book. After a lot of rolling and cross-referencing, we left off with the following;

FIGHTING - Poor 3

AGILITY - Amazing 46

STRENGTH - Excellent 16

ENDURANCE - Typical 5

REASON - Excellent 16

INTUITION - Incredible 36

PSYCHE - Good 8

Health 70

Karma 60

Resources: Typical

Modified Human - Skeletal (+1 CS to Resistance to Physical attacks) from Biological Exposure

Weakness: Molecular Allergy, Power negation, Continuous with Contact

Powers:

Hyper-Invention

Hyper-Speed

Vibration

Vibration Control

Sonic Generation

I'm going to make one more change, and dorp Hyper-Invention for the optional power of Sound Manipulation

Okay, so let's put this together. Our hero an intuitive biochemist, able to combine everyday biological compounds into new and interesting formulae. During one of his experiments, our hero (let's give him a name.... how about..... Nate Massif) tested a compound on himself which triggered a large-scale, radical increase in both the density of his skeletal structure, as well as his twitch muscle response. Although with no formal combat training of any type, Massif discovered that not only was he now endowed with strength and agility well beyond that of most normal human, he was able to control the twitch muscle response in his body to such a degree that he can not only control his vibrational rate of his body, allowing him a degree of phasing, but also to vibrate his body in such a manner as to create vibrations outside of his body. Another side effect of this twitch muscle response control is that he has developed hyper-speed. Furthermore, because of his ability to manipulate vibrations and vibrational rate, he is able to use his voice to generate a variety of sonic effects, as well as manipulating other sounds.

Okay, this is actually starting to come together now. Let's see what we have to finish this off.

Power ranks. That would be important. Okay, let's see what get get.

Hyper-Speed - Incredible

Vibration - Monstrous

Vibration Control - Incredible

Sonic Generation - Good

Sound Manipulation - Amazing

Okay, this makes sense. While his vibration control can help with sonic generation, it still requires airflow and control, which is why that ability isn't as strong as the others.

Talent: I do some high rolling, and come up with his talent of Student. Makes sense, as he is a biochemist who is constantly tinkering. Maybe he is working towards his PhD.

Now, what to do with that weakness. What would be a good molecular weakness for a man with total control over his vibrational rate? How about.... okay, work with me here.... how about a tuning fork? If Massif is in the presence of a sounding tuning fork, he is uable to focus his vibrational rate to achieve any of his abilities? Weird, but it works for me.

Popularity wil be 5, as Massif is going to have asecret identity.

Okay, I think we have it. Let's put it all together.

WHISPER IN THE WIND

Nate Massif, biochemistry PhD student

FIGHTING - Poor 3

AGILITY - Amazing 46

STRENGTH - Excellent 16

ENDURANCE - Typical 5

REASON - Excellent 16

INTUITION - Incredible 36

PSYCHE - Good 8

Health 70

Karma 60

Resources: Typical

Popularity: 5

Powers: 

HYPER-SPEED: Incredible

VIBRATION GENERATION: Monstrous

VIBRATION CONTROL: Incredibel

SONIC GENERATION: Good

SOUND MANIPULATION: Amazing

Talent: student

Contact: Dr. Phillip Nardwaur (PhD overseer)

Nate Massif was a foreign student, studying in the US to obtain his bioengineering degree at New York University. A gifted biochemist, Nate was constantly creating new compounds, encouraged by his PhD overseer, Dr. Phillip Nardwaur. Unfortunately, one of Massif's experiments went a little too far, and the over-enthusiastic Massif tested one of his new biochemical compositions on himself. While the experiment caused Massif's skeletal structure and musclature to evolve at an amazing rate, Massif cut corners in develping the compound, and found that his notes were incomplete, leaving him unable to replicate the formula. As a result of his modified body structure, Massif found himself posessing extraordinary strength and agility. He also discovered that he was now in possession of hyper-speed, as well as the ability to to control his vibrational rate to generate and control vibrations, as well as being able to manipulate and generate sound waves for a variety of effects. Unfortunately, this increased ability to control his vibrational rate came at a cost - Massif's powers can be negated by the sounding of a tuning fork within 20 feet of him, because the vibration from the fork interferes with his ability to manipulate vibrations. Massif took the name Whisper In The Wind from a move used by his favorite wrestler Jeff Hardy (Massif is a HUGE pro wrestling fan), and uses his secret identity to test the limits of his new abilities, hoping he can use this hands-on research to help further his efforts to receive a PhD.

There. No picture of the character, but hopefully this will do. This was WAY more involved than I remember, but still a fun mental exercise.

A Character A Day: Advanced Marvel Super Heroes ULTIMATE POWERS

 So, when I was thinking about what kind of character I wanted to create today, I thought I would go a little left field. I used to love Advanced Marvel Super Heroes RPG put out by TSR. I know we didn't play it a ton, and when we did, it was usualy playing pregenerated characters (as my friends and I were all comic book kids). However, I spent a TON of time making up unique super villians, and when I got my hands on the Ultimate Powers Book (which I had to buy at a Kay Bee Toys on one of the family visits to the US, because nobody in Winnipeg seemed to carry anything for Advanced MSH), I was in my nirvana. So, I thought I would open up the UPB and create a super hero. I might even open up the Book of Magic supplement later on, and make a magical character.

Anyways, let's give this a shot!

I am going to follow the character creation guidelines in the UPB, which differ slightly from those found in the boxed Advanced MSH rules.

First step: generate physical form.

Okay, the random percentile dice generator gives us a 53. Modified Human - Skeletal. Ooooo.... interesting. +1 CS to Resistance to Physical attacks, 1 less power, and contact should have something to do with the skeletal modifications. Okay, I like it so far.

Second step: generate origin of power

This time, we get a 66. Biological exposure. Hmmmm.... so, something biological caused his skeletal system to be modified. Not sure where this is going yet, but I have some ideas.

Third step: generate primary abilities

First, I had to consult Dragon #122, which had the errata for the UPB, because the original failed to tell me which column I roll on when determining primary abilities. Once I figured out that I use column 1, I was good to go!

FIGHTING - Poor 3 (rolled a 9)

AGILITY - Amazing 46 (rolled a 97!)

STRENGTH - Excellent 16 (rolled a 58)

ENDURANCE - Typical 5 (rolled a 12)

REASON - Excellent 16 (rolled a 42)

INTUITION - Incredible 36 (rolled an 86)

PSYCHE - Good 8 (rolled a 29)

Hmmm, so he's a lover, not a fighter. Otherwise, I am starting to see some ideas take shape. High Agility and Strength... so apparently, whatever biological exposure this character has had, it appears to have vastly improved his musculature and skeletal strength. 

Fourth step: generate secondary abilities

This just entails doing some addition. So, Health is 70. Karma is 60. We'll worry about Resources and Popularity later.

Fifth step: generate weakness

Okay, now we are getting to the nitty gritty. We get a roll of 22, which gives us a Molecular Allergy. Rolling again, we get a 40, which gives us Power Negation, and our final roll of  32 gives us a duration of Continuous with Contact.So, whenever I am within 20 feet of the stimulus, my powers do not function, and I have a -1CS every ten turns to my Primary Abilities until everything become Typical. Let's see what the powers are before I decide what limits them.

Sixth step: generate powers

Okay, let's do it! I get one less power, so a roll of 67 means 6 initial powers (I assume it means six, since it actually says 2, but the number of initial powers keep increasing by one every level on the table, so going from 5 to 2 to7 seems wrong) dropped down to 5, and a maximum of 8. A 38 means I start with 1 talent, and have a maximum of 6, and a final roll of 7 means I start with no contacts, and a maximum of 2. (That might have to get changed).

I think I had better roll Resources now, since I might need to spend some. So, they start at Typical, as modified by a roll on the Ability Modifier Table in the main rulebook. I roll a 68, giving me Increase by 1 Rank, so my resources start out at Good. I am immediately going to lower my Resources back down to Typical, and add a Contact.

So, 5 powers! Let's see what I get! I roll twice for each power, to get it's Class and Category! 

73 --> Physical Enhancement, 39 --> Hyper-Speed

40 --> Magic, 21 --> Magic Control (double slot)

64 --> Mental Enhancement, 46 --> Hyper-Invention

15 --> Energy Control, 99 --> Vibration Control

43 --> Matter Control, 88 --> Weather

Well..... if THAT isn't a cat's breakfast of powers. I can see three of those working together, but the Magic and Matter Control do not fit at ALL. So, let's look and see if there are any Optional or Bonus powers that I can take to dump those other two...

Well.... looking through the options, I see that Vibration Control has some optional powers, like Vibration, and that has the optional power of Sonic Generation. I am starting to get a picture in my head. So.... I am going to keep Vibration Control. I am going to dump the Magic power for Vibration. I am going to keep Hyper-Speed, and dump Matter control in favor of Sonic Generation.

Wow... this is taking longer than I thought! I think I will stop here for the night, then tomorrow I will pick up with trying to piece together these powers into something workable. thank you for your patience!

A Character A Day: Classic Traveller redux

 Well, that was such a blast making a Classic Traveller character yesterday, I am going to do it again! Let's see what fate gives us this time.

I thought about trying to make an Aslan this time, but I think before I try that, we';ll take anohter run through making a human, and in one of my favoite Traveller classes... the scout. For this initial attempt, I am going to use the "vanilla" process provided in The Traveller Book. I looked through the Scout LBB, but I don't think back in the day we ever used this book to create scouts (although it IS very interesting, and once I read up on it a little more, I might try later this month to make a character using those rules).

All right, let's see what our rolls give us...

11, 8, 5, 5, 7, 6

Hmmm.... he's a strong one. And pretty smart, too. Well, let's get started on our scout.

Name: Alton Zyzyx

STR 11

DEX 8

END 5

INT 5

EDU 7

SOC 6

Fresh out of high school, with a desire to see new places and encounter new cultures, young Alton decide that the Scout Service is the way to go. Because of his high STR, he only need a 5 or better to enlist. And he gets... a 10. The Scout Service is SALIVATING at a specimen like Alton. He enters the field, eager to learn... and rolls a 4 for survival. o_O A freak accident in his first term cuts short another promising scout's life.

Rest in peace, Alton. 

Well... that was anti-climactic.

However, a few years after Alton's death, his younger brother, Beedo, decides to honor his brother's memory by enlisting in the Scouts, and carrying on his brother's legacy. 

Reroll ahoy!

Beedo ZYZYX

STR 9

DEX 7

END 4

INT 7

EDU 7

SOC 7

While not quite as strong as his older brother, Beedo is just as smart, and even more respected in social circles for his desire to uphold his brother's legacy. Like Alton, Beedo eagerly enlists in the Scout Service, needing only a 4+ to successfully enlist... which he does easily. However, carrying on his brother's legacy..... Beedo was tragically killed during another freak accident at Scout School.

Rest in peace, Beedo.

(at this point, I am wondering if perhaps the Zyzyx family should be looking at something.... less dangerous for their children).

Enter Quentin Zyzyx, the youngest of the Zyzyx clan. By now, his family has been ravaged by the loss of his two older brothers. The future of the family weighs on his shoulders.

STR 4

DEX 10

END 9

INT 8

EDU 7

SOC 6

The "runt of the litter", young Quentin is nowhere near as strong as his brothers were, but he makes up for that with his dexterity and tenacity. Unwilling to follow the doomed dreams of his brothers, Quentin instead decides to enlist in the Merchant Service... hopefully it will prove to be less deadly than the Scout Service has shown to be. His Intelligence means he only needs a 5 or better to enlist... and he FAILS! (author's note: UGH!)  Undeterred, Quentin enters the draft, hopeful that he will still be able to follow his dream... and instead, finds himself enlisted in the Imperial Marines! (author's note: why do I not see this going well...) Evidently, his impressive physical skills and high intellgence made him a prime candidate for Marine service. They aren't too worried about his low strength... the Marines will make a man out of him!

First tour of duty: a hardy lad, Quentin looks forward to the thrill of Marine training... and manages to successfully survive his first tour of duty. While he is a hard worker, his inital attempt at attaining a commission fails (rolled a 5). He acquires a skill in swordsmanship (cutlass-1), along with improving his cardiovascular endurance (+1 END) and learning how to handle a vacc suit (vacc suit-1). After a hard term, Quentin decides to try to push himself to further success, and applies to reenlist... JUST managing to successfully reapply (rolled a 6 dead on).

Second tour of duty: felling slightly better about surviving as a marine where his older brothers had both died, Quentin heads into his second term. He easily survives the gruelling training regimen. Quentin again attempts a commission, this time being recognized for his hard work and dedication, achieving the rank of Lieutenant (and the skill revolver-1). Quentin dedicates himself to phsical improvement, building his body through a regimen of fitness training (+1 STR), as well as demonstrating his proficiency in boarding actions with the auto-shotgun (shotgun-1). Enjoying life as a Marine, Quentin opts to reenlist for a third tour. After much discussion on the issue, his request is accepted (rolled a 7).

Third tour of duty: Now 26 years old, Quentin is still easily capable of meetin the requirements of the Marine Corps as he enters his third tour of duty. Now learning to navigate to web of political intrigue that is the officer corps, Quentin manages to impress enough of the right people to receive a promotion to the rank of Captain. Quentin continues to demonstrate his usefulness in boarding situation, gaining another level in shotgun (shotgun-2) as well as learning his way around automatic rifles (auto rifle-1). Now feeling a part of the fraternity of the Marine Corps, Quentin attempts re-enlistment, and succeeds easily.

Fourth tour of duty: now seen as a veteran of the forces, Quentin is still a specimen, easily able to handle the physical requirements of the job. Learning the ropes of the fine art of diplomacy, Quentin continues to move through the ranks, achieving the rank of Force Commander (rolled 10 for promotion). Quentin continues to improve in his abilities with the automatic rifle (auto rifle-2), as well as demonstrating his abilities in understanding and organizing tactical situations (tactics-1). By the end of his fourth term of service, time has yet to diminish Quentin's physical skills. Still enjoying life in the Corps, Quentin decides to re-enlist, and just manages to succeed in continuing his career (rolled a 6).

Fifth term: While Quentin again excels in the field, he is beginning to think about winding his career in the Marines down. Satisfied with his place in life, Quentin is not disappointed when he fails to attain another commission. He spends his last years in service aking it easy, letting the younger members of his group take the lead more and more, and instead spending his time on padding his golden years by fleecing the younger troops of their pay stipends at poker (gambling-1). Realizing his cardio isn't what it used to be (-1 END), Quentin decides it is time to call it a career. Quentin leaves the service with a yearly retirement salary in addition to all the other skills and accolades he has received. (+2 INT, +1 EDU, membership in Traveller's Society, Cutlass, 40,000 cr cash, 4000 cr/year pension)

Force Commander Quentin ZYZYX, Marine Corps (ret.)

age: 38

STR 5

DEX 10

END 9

INT 10

EDU 7

SOC 6

Skills: Cutlass-1, Vacc Suit-1, Revolver-1, Shotgun-2, Auto Rifle-2, Tactics-1, Gambling-1

Benefits: member of Traveller's Aid Society, 40,000 cr cash, Marine Cutlass, 4000cr/year pension

Quentin Zyzyx lived up to his brothers' memories. While not succeeding in entering the Scout Service, he instead carved for himself a long, illustrious career in the Marine Corps, succeeding and excelling where many others thought he would fail. He leaves the service with a wealth of contacts, a cushy pension, and in good health. Content to live out his days travelling the galaxy playing poker, Quentin is still a fomidable force to reckon with, and is not not above out "the little guy" when he feels someone is being treated unfairly.

A Character A Day: Classic Traveller

 Ah, Traveller.... got a character whose stats you don't like? Become a belter.... odds are you will die in chargen. I'll never forget the day my belter survived. He had the most useless set of skills ever, because I didn't really care what I picked, I was just trying to get him killed.

It's been a LONG time since I have made a Traveller character, so this should be fun.

Alright, let's start out with the rolls.

8, 4, 6, 9, 2, 2

Ugh..... maybe he WILL be a belter.

Hmmm.... 2s in Education and Social Standing. I can work with that! I am already picturing some kind of farm-world boy. A big, strong kid who is pretty smart, but never went to school. Sadly, not very graceful. Sounds like a perfect example of an army grunt. Be all you can be!

All right, let's give him a name. I think I like the sounds of Vance Billeck.

Vance BILLECK

STR 8 

DEX 4

END 6

INT 9

EDU 2

SOC 2

Let's generate!

Young Vance has just turned 18. He never finished high school... never really got very much past about grade 6. He's not dumb, just didn't see much need for reading and writing when he was working on a farm. Deciding he wants to see the universe, Vance decides to enroll in the Army. A 6 END gives us a +2 on the roll, so we only need a 3 or better. And we get.... a 10. Success! Let's see if Vance survives his first term or service. No bonuses, so he rolls... a 7. He needed 5+, so he has survived his first tour of duty. That gives him at least Rifle-1. Vance uses this first tour to engage in some personal development, rolling up Brawling-1 (apparently, everybody wants to test the farmboy), and also picks up a service skill of ATV-1 (driving all those tractors back home comes in handy). Vance's hard work does not go unnoticed as he receives a commission to the rank of lieutenant, receiving the skill of Tactics-1 (all those years of paint balling finally paid off), as well as SMG-1. Having enjoyed his first term of service, Vance reenlists, and is easily accepted.

Second tour of duty. Vance easily makes his survival roll. He agains takes an opportunity to develop personally, and gains a +1 to Dexterity, now making it 5. Enjoying the idea of leadership, Vance attempts a promotion, but narrowly misses out, rolling a 5. Only slightly discouraged, Vance reenlists, and succeeds with a roll of 8.

Third tour. After the disappointment of failing to be promoted last term, Vance just succeeds in reenlisting, rolling a 5 exactly. Hoping to improvement his chances with his superior officers for promotion, Vance commits himself to improving his service skills this tour, coming out with Forward Observer-1. However, Vance's efforts are for naught, as he is once again looked over for promotion (everyone just sees him as the same uneducated farm he was when he first enlisted). Not willing to give up yet, Vance reenlists. Unfortunately, his superiors see him as having reached his potential, and his request to re-enlist is denied. Vance musters out with a +2 EDU and a +1 INT (from catching up on his years of missed schooling while part of the forces), one Low Passage (enough to get him back home, or to begin to see the universe) and 10,000 cr.

So, here is Vance Billeck, at age 30, fresh out of the Army.

Lieutenant Vance BILLECK

STR 8

DEX 5

END 6

INT 10

EDU 4

SOC 2

Skills:

Rifle-1, Brawling-1, ATV-1, SMG-1, Tactics-1, Forward Observer-1

Muster: 1 Low Passage, 10,000cr

He wanted to see the galaxy. "Be all you can be!" It's all a lie. It should be, "Be all everyone else will let you be". Vance left the Army disillusioned, bitter and without prospects. They gave him a one-way sleeper ticket back to his homeworld, to be the same farmer they all believe is all he can ever be. But Vance isn't dumb. He's still young, and he know has skills. He's going to take that low passage, and go somewhere where a mercenary can ply his skills. And every chance he gets, he's going to show those "superior officers" that looked down their noses at the "backwater farmboy" just how much trouble he can cause when you put him behind the wheel of a vehicle with a gun in his hand and a chip on his shoulder.

A Character a Day: 1st Edition AD&D

 Right now, my choices are being influenced by the fact that I am rewatching the extended edition of THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS. I will branch out a bit into other systems in a few days, but for now,....

First edition AD&D. 4d6, drop the lowest, put in any order. That's how we used to do it.

12, 15, 16, 4 (yes, I legitimately rolled three 1s and a 2), 15, 13

Well..... how am I going to work around that 4? My usual go to's for an incredibly long score is either Charisma, or, surprisingly, Intelligence. I am a long history of playing incredibly dumb characters. I can use it as justification for the stupid things I sometimes enjoy doing as a player. 8) Everything else is decent. And for reference, I used to Google online dice roller for all my rolls.

Looking at the rules, I discover two things I did not remember.... if your INT is less than 5, you can ONLY be a fighter, and if your CHA is less than 5, you can ONLY be an assassin. Interesting. Well, I've never played an assassin EVER, and that is certain to be a controversial pick, so.... LET'S BE A KILLER.

Name: John Doe

Class: 1st level assassin    Alignment: Lawful Evil    Experience: 0

hp: 7 

STR 13 (Open Doors on 1-2, 4% bend bars, +100 encumbrance)

INT 15 (4 additional languages)

WIS 12

DEX 16 (+1 attacking, -2 defensive)

CON 15 (+1 hp,  91% system shock, 94% resurrection)

CHR 4 (1 henchman, -25% loyalty, -20% reaction)

Special abilities: backstab for x2 damage, +4 to hit when striking from behind with surprise, other thief abilities as two levels below), can use poison

Languages: common, dwarven, elvish, orcish, goblin

AC: 6 (padded armour + AC bonus)

Weapons: short sword, 2 daggers, sling

Equipment: padded armor, short sword and scabbard, 2 daggers, 1 sling with 12 bullets, backpack, change of clothes, , two large belt pouches,  1 black cloak, 1 pair high, soft boots, tinder box, 50' rope, waterskin, 1 week iron rations, bedroll, journal of research, quill and ink

Treasure: 42 gp

Story: John Doe isn't really a bad guy. As a child, he was a prodigy, and at the top of his class. He excelled in languages, quickly learning how to speak not only the languages of dwarves and elves, but even the low tongues of orcs and goblins. He would amuse his friends and family as a child by demonstrating his extensive vocabulary of humanoid profanity at parties. However, his other love was chemistry. Some say he should have been an alchemist... except his area of interest was in poisons. He learned all he could of common poisons in school, but soon found his calling would require some extra-curricular activities. Although he knew that many would look down on what he did as wrong and evil, he was scrupulous in making suure that he only practiced his art on the evil and unfortunate - those who deserved their fate, or would not be missed. He considered this a necessary "evil", since society would not indulge in his passion openly. As further research required more and more esoteric ingredients, John realized that he would have to make his own fortune to pay for his research. Using what knowledge he already possessed, he mourned the "accidental" death of his parents as a result of a rare "allergic reaction" from some bad fish before changing his name, and taking his meagre inheritance to continue his studies by practicing his art as necessary on the evil and unlamented. John doesn't worry too much about his victims.... he thinks of them only as "research subjects".

New Year 2021: A Character A Day - B/X D&D

 It's been a long, LONG time since I have done anything with this page. Guess I should clean up some of the cobwebs and get down to business.

I read somewhere about some kind of New Character a Day challenge for the start of 2021. Basically, create a new character every day for January for an RPG of your choice. You could make 31 characters for one game system, or 1 character for thirty-one game systems... whatever turns your crank. So, let's give it a try. Maybe I can stick with it for a whole month.

B/X D&D, 3d6 straight up

7, 12, 14, 11, 7, 6

Hmmmmmm..... those scores say either magic-user or cleric. But, those STR and CON scores are too low for a cleric, so M-U it is. Which is okay, because I love playing M-Us. He won't be a *great* M-U, but let's knock down that WIS score a little to boost his INT.

Glaerad the Game, 1st level Magic User

Alignment: Lawful

AC: 9

hp: 2

xp: 0 (+5% to experience)

STR 7

INT 14

WIS 10

DEX 11

CON 7

CHR 6

Spells (I am going to be merciful, and assume that a magic-user automatically knows Read Magic in his spellbook, so this next spell is in addition to that): Protection from Evil

Languages : Common, Dragon

Equipment: Backpack, two sets of clothes, tinder box, waterskin, 50' rope, bedroll, 1 week iron rations, spellbook, quill and ink

Weapons: dagger

Money: 70 gp

Story: Glaerad was always a sickly young lad. He was always suffering some malady, and was routinely beaten up by the other children of his village, as he was an easy target. However, he was intensely devoted to his mother, he did her best to look out for her youngest child. Although he excelled in school, his pale frame, scarred and misshapen by various poxes and other injuries of youth, meant no one took the young boy seriously. The only other person who ever showed kindness to the lad was a travelling wizard, who would sometimes traavel through the village. He would always stay at the Glaerad's home while in the village. Rumours circulated that the wizard was in some sort of relationship with Glaerad's mother, but the truth is, he was a distant relative, simply checking up on his relations. As Glaerad grew older, he discovered the boy had a slight ability in using magic. Feeling pity for the boy, he taught him the ways of sorcery, and as his first spell, gave him a simple forula which he could use to help protect himself from the many bullies he encountered every day. The boy planned to one day apprentice himself to this wizard, but unfortunately, he was slain by a dragon whilst adventuring. His death inspired Glaerad to dedicate himself to avenging his adopted guardian. As such, Glaerad dedicated himself to learning the draconic language, in hopes it would help him achieve his goal. Sadly, the black cloud of misfortune hung heavy over Glaerad's head. During one particularly cold winter, his home burned down when an untended fire caught the thatch roof of his dwelling on fire, killing his mother. Rumours immediately began to spread that the fire was caused by Glaerad's dabbling in the mystical arts, and soon the entire village turned on the boy, chasing him away to die in the wilderness. However, Galerad's intelligence allowed him to survive the cold winter, and ever since, he has travelled the lands, carrying little more than a spellbook and some clothes, searching for a new master, and hoping to one day avenge himself on the dragon who took his former master from him.